Tower Ventures, of which Brewery District co-developer Billy Orgel is the president and CEO, is listed as both the owner and tenant on the application. LRK is listed as the project’s architect.

Last March, Montgomery Martin filed more than $20 million in building permits to begin renovations on the former Tennessee Brewery.

Of the $20.6 million total amount, $18.8 million was allotted for the historic brewery’s renovation and for the construction of a new six-story metal frame to support 58 units.

The other $1.8 million went toward the construction of the four-story, wood-frame Wash House building at 500 Tennessee St., which will have an additional 90 units.

Montgomery Martin sought a $4.5 million construction permit in February 2016 for a four-story parking garage at 502 Tennessee St. that will have 358 spaces and serve the public as well as residents of the Brewery District’s four residential buildings.

– Patrick Lantrip

North Memphis Effort Gets $1 Million SPARCC Grant

A national organization focused on local neighborhood revitalization efforts is awarding a group working in North Memphis a $1 million planning and technical assistance grant over three years.

The Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge, or SPARCC, announced Wednesday, Feb. 15, the grant to Memphis Partners for Resilient Communities as part of a three-year, $90 million nationwide initiative to bolster communities.

Memphis is one of six cities where SPARCC awarded the planning and technical assistance grants. The other initial SPARCC sites include Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; and Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, California.

Memphis Partners for Resilient Communities is a coalition of North Memphis groups formed specifically to pursue the SPARCC funding and to ensure that recent large developments in the area, including Crosstown Concourse, benefit the area’s existing African-American population.

– Bill Dries

2 Memphis Football Players Invited to NFL Combine

The University of Memphis has a pair of players invited to participate in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis as the full list of 330 invitees was announced this week. Kicker Jake Elliott and defensive back Arthur Maulet will participate in the process in front of NFL scouts from Feb. 28 to March 6.

Elliott finished his Memphis career as the first player in American Athletic Conference history to earn first team all-conference honors and leaves as the program’s record holder in points scored (445), consecutive PATs made (202), field goals made (82) and with six of the seven longest field goals in program history to his name, including a 56-yarder in the Miami Beach Bowl.

A two-time American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, Elliott was a 2015 finalist for the Lou Groza Award and in 2016 was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Elliott will participate in the Group 1 invitees at the combine from Feb. 28 to March 2.

Maulet was invited to the combine after playing in both the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl and earning a late invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. In his two-year career at Memphis, Maulet helped the Tigers to a 17-9 record and to back-to-back bowl appearances.

As part of the Memphis secondary, he recorded 111 total tackles, including 92 solos, adding 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. As a senior in 2016, he led the team with 13 pass breakups and his 72 total tackles ranked fifth on the team. He also helped Memphis execute a fake punt, catching a pass from punter Spencer Smith to convert a first down in the third quarter at Ole Miss.

The defensive backs will be at the combine starting March 3, with the on-field workout scheduled for March 6.

– Don Wade

SCS Names New Chief Of Business Operations

Shelby County Schools has hired Beth Phalen as its new chief of business operations.

Phalen comes to the school system from being executive vice president of strategy and operations at ISS Facility Services, and before that she was vice president of business operations for ServiceMaster Co.

She fills a position in SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson’s cabinet that has been vacant since July 2015 with interim leadership by Cerita Butler, the director of business operations and procurement for the school system.

Her hiring completes Hopson’s executive cabinet.

“She has a reputation of delivering in challenging environments and her cross-functional knowledge will help us greatly in managing our district’s vast business interests,” Hopson said in a statement.

– Bill Dries

Black Engineers to Host A Walk for Education

The Memphis Professionals Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers is hosting A Walk for Education in the Mitchell/Whitehaven community on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The purpose of the community service event is to increase awareness of the opportunities available through education, particularly in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math, and to shatter myths about African-Americans in those industries. This event will feature John Jackson, vice president of strategy, planning, engineering, innovation and customer identity at FedEx Corp. as its keynote speaker.

A Walk for Education is a grassroots program in which NSBE members walk door to door in underserved communities and disseminate college scholarship information, SAT/ACT preparation tools and the benefits of majoring in STEM fields.

The walk will take place from 10 a.m. until noon. Afterward, students, families and neighbors are invited to the Mitchell Community Center, 602 W. Mitchell Road, for a complimentary lunch provided by Chipotle plus a college and engineering fair. Third- through 12th-grade students will have the opportunity to speak with local engineers and engage in hands-on engineering activities.

All are invited to volunteer as a walker and/or provide assistance during the engineering fair. Sign up as an individual or a group on eventbrite.com, and learn more about the Memphis Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers at nsbememphis.org.

– Don Wade

Redbirds Hosting Job Fair For Game Day Positions

The Memphis Redbirds are holding a job fair on Monday, Feb. 20, and Tuesday, Feb. 21 to hire game-day positions for the upcoming season.

The job fair will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Monday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, and will be held in the Home Plate Club on the second level of AutoZone Park, 200 Union Ave.

Visit memphisredbirds.com/jobfair for a list of available jobs. All positions are seasonal and part-time. Interested attendees should arrive knowing which position(s) they are interested in and be prepared to interview on the spot.

– Don Wade

Olympic Gymnast To Visit Southern Women’s Show

Gymnast Laurie Hernandez, a two-time medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics, is scheduled to make a Memphis appearance March 11 at the Southern Women’s Show, the show’s organizers have announced.

Hernandez, 16, was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team, and she also won a silver for the performance on the balance beam. Last fall, she participated on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” winning the show’s Mirrorball Trophy.

Hernandez’s Memphis stop is part of the three-day Southern Women’s Show, taking place March 10-12 at Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove Road. She will appear on the Fashion & Entertainment Stage at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday of the event. Copies of her book, “I Got This,” will be for sale on site.

The annual Southern Women’s Show features shopping, cooking classes, makeovers, life-enhancing seminars and celebrity appearances. Among the special events are the return of Girls Night Out on Friday evening, with $5 admission after 5 p.m.; Mother-Daughter Day on Saturday; and Teachers Day on Sunday.